The present invention relates to a collision sensing system for the field of robotic welding, and more particularly to a collision sensing system for use with rotary welding torches used in a hollow wrist robotic application.
A rotary welding torch, such as a torch that may be used with the present invention, is typically a welding torch that provides unrestricted bidirectional rotation during the welding process.
Robotic manufacturers generally include some form of collision sensing to help prevent damage to the robot itself in the event of a collision. However, this may not prevent damage to the end of arm tooling, such as a rotary welding torch. Accordingly, end users often require so-called collision detectors or collision sensor units to prevent further damage to the end of arm tooling.
Some robotic manufacturers have designed other types of collision detectors for offset arm robots or collision sensor units with motion sensors. However, given the high temperatures developed during the welding process, these configurations tend to fail due to the sensor's incompatibility with a high temperature environment.